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The Australian Immigration Website reports news of a new Australian Values Statement which will need to be signed as part of the Visa Application in certain Categories.

From 15 October 2007, all applicants aged 18 years and over are required to sign the values statement. The statement requires applicants to confirm that they will respect the Australian way of life and obey the laws of Australia before being granted a visa.

Who does it apply to?

For most visa applicants the Australian Values Statement is included in the application form. There are two different values statements. The statement applicants will be required to sign depends on the visa they are applying for.

All provisional, permanent and a small number of temporary visa applicants are required to have read or had explained to them information provided by the Australian government before signing the values statement. This information is contained in the Life in Australia book.

For all other temporary visa applicants the Australian Values Statement is included in the general declaration section of their application form.

People currently outside Australia who are applying for a Humanitarian visa are required to sign the values statement at interview. These applicants will not be expected to have read the Life in Australia book, as the contents of the book will be explained to them at interview. This different process recognises the difficult circumstances often faced by Humanitarian visa applicants outside Australia.

Visa Classes where the Values do not need to be signed:

There is a small group of visas that do not require the Australian Values Statement. This group includes and is not limited to Visitor visas and New Zealand citizens entering Australian on a special category visa

Life In Australia Book

The life in Australia book provides information about Australian history, culture, society and the values shared by Australians. This will apparently help you understand the values statement before you sign.

If you are applying for a provisional or permanent visa, you need to read, or have had explained to you, the Life in Australia book before you sign the values statement.

The Life in Australia Book can be obtained in various formats via the Aussie Immigration Website.

The Life in Australia book is available online.

Full Version
Life in Australia (1.1MB PDF file)

Series of files
Part One (637KB PDF file)
Part Two (440KB PDF file)
Part Three (140KB PDF file)

Unable to read the PDF documents? You’ll need the Adobe Reader. Free software to view PDF documents is available Here

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